Until Forever Ends
by Sentury
Summary: Ephraim had seen too many people die to believe that forever was anything longer than a lifetime, but L'Arachel's love for him always seemed endless, so why was it that he could never understand what he was feeling?


A/N: Hello, friends. Thank you for taking the time to read my story here, I hope you enjoy it. Just a little disclaimer though, I've never...how should I say this..."hit a home-run before" therefore I'm not sure I was able to truly capture the intimacy that should be associated with a story of this nature.

Overly personal information aside, I hope you enjoy this!

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Sometimes L'Arachel wondered if her love for Ephraim was just a physical attraction. She loved to trace her pointer finger in the groves of his finely toned chest, not unlike back when she was first felt drawn to him.

She had assumed – correctly of course – that his body must have been covered in countless gruesome scars from all the battles he had fought. So she did what any servant of righteousness would, she insisted to him upon healing them. However, what came next was not what she had expected. Handsome and dashing Ephraim removed his garments right there on the battlefield and revealed to her – a woman of such innocent and gentle nature – his bare and naked chest! But of course she had forgiven Ephraim; he had proved himself a good and honest gentleman, even if he had no way with women.

She smiled and as she continued to drag her hand gently across the smooth surface of the same chest that had frightened her just months ago when they were still battling for their lives. She had certainly come a long way since then. Her fear of men's chest had definitely faded, as well as her aversion to their….other parts.

She stirred for a moment and moved her head from the pillow of his bedside and laid it against his chest. To L'Arachel, nothing felt more right in this world than feeling the warmth of his body against hers as she listened to the subtle beating of his heart. And just as right was the way he would wrap his arm around her and stroke tenderly on her bicep.

It was moments like these that L'Arachel knew it was no physical attraction. No, his muscular physic and strong jawline were only nice additions to the wonderfully bliss feeling she had whenever she was with him.

"Tell me we'll be together forever, Ephraim?" she asked him, still lying on his chest, but raising her eyes to meet his.

Ephraim lowered his gaze to meet her beautiful pale green eyes. They were by far his favorite part about her. Somehow they always seemed to glitter when the light was low (as it was now) and were always filled with the confidence and love he had come to know her to possess. Ephraim had confidence himself, boundless confidence, but his was of a different nature. Place the King of Renis on any battlefield against any odds and he would have the unshakeable faith in himself to come out the victory, but L'Arachel was a different battle. He honestly didn't know if he loved her, the question always lingered in his mind. He starred at her again, by the stones was she beautiful, even now with her hair a mess and dressed only in her undergarments she never failed to make his heart race, but was that love? And if it was how can she say with such confidence that it will last forever? Forever was a long time, and it certainly hadn't lasted very long for his mother and father, but L'Arachel was an idealistic one.

"Forever is a very long time, L'Arachel," he continued to stroke her hair; "first we'll have to convince the Rausten court that our union will be as fortuitous as you keep insisting."

"Old fools," the woman muttered more to her than him "they've forgotten what it means to find true love and sustenance in this world! When I am queen I will have to make a note to teach them what it means to truly follow a just and righteous path!" She finished shaking a clenched fist vigorously.

"I don't quite understand how our marriage has anything to do with your path of righteousness." Replied Ephraim with a questioning look and a good natured laugh at her expense.

"Oh, Ephraim my darling, you still have much to learn. Why, denying love the chance to flourish is perhaps one of the most heinous crimes of all!" She curled up back on to his chest before speaking softly again, "You do love me, don't you?"

And there it was. The question he had asked himself over and over again without an answer. His mind fumbled over what he should say; replying "yes" would mean lying to L'Arachel and he couldn't do that, she deserved better, but a "no" would mean lying to himself. In truth the king didn't know. He envied L'Arachel's certainty, but it was a certainty he did not possess.

"It's okay." She said, releasing Ephraim from answering the agonizing question, "I understand. It's a lifelong question; answer when you're ready."

Her voice was beautifully gentle, so much that it made the hairs of his back stand on edge. He looked at her again, ashamed of the fact that he couldn't give her the answer she wanted and the pain it must be causing her.

"But I'll love you forever, Ephraim." L'Arachel knew. She had seen the look in his eyes and felt the beating of his heart too many times not to know. There were times when words could only betray the true thoughts and feelings of a person. But there was no more Demon King, no more wars, they had time, and while she was one to rush at times, she could wait for Ephraim to discover the words his eyes always told her.

"You don't know how long forever is." He looked at her with eyes filled with the pain of too many forever's being cut short.

L'Arachel sat up for a moment and swung a leg over his torso and starred at him in both eyes before she leaned down her head and spoke to him softly in one ear.

"The time it takes me to get to from your lips –" and she kissed him lightly on both lips,

"to your heart –" and she kissed him in the center of his chest,

"is long enough forever for me." She let her voice linger for a moment before swinging her leg back over his torso and removing her weight from atop his body to lie beside him once again. It was at this moment that Ephraim realized he did love L'Arachel. She faced away from him this time, but as he starred at the back of her head and longed to see those beautiful eyes of hers again, he realized that he could barely go another moment without seeing them, let alone forever.

He turned his body so it was parallel to hers and wrapped a strong, muscular arm around her and whispered in her ear with all the confidence and assurance he ever had while wielding the lance,

"I do love you."

To which she replied, "I know." And smiled to herself as she felt his strong frame against hers once more, thinking to herself that she could stay there in his arms forever.

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**A/N:** So what did you think? A little cute maybe? Well at the very least I hope I didn't waste your time. My Ephraim is a little bit off I think, but I felt like this was new territory for him so maybe he could be a little more...nervous? I don't know. There was something else I wanted to say...ah I don't remember something about me messing up probably.

Wait I remember...I used L'Arachel and Ephraim's ending to get the part where they talk about how Rausten doesn't approve of their being together, so I didn't just make it up!

Anyway hope you liked it, drop me a review if you have the time and have a nice night.


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